If you've been curious what actually goes into the junk journals I list on Etsy — the materials, the structure, how they're put together — this flip-through is for you. I walk through four bundles currently in my TreasureBooks shop: fabric-covered journals, leather journals made from upholstery offcuts, an envelope journal with a wraparound closure, and a set of altered box journals, each with a mini journal sitting flush inside. Nothing is embellished the same way twice, and each bundle includes a little pack of embellishments so you can make the journal your own.
What we cover
This is a shop restock flip-through — not a tutorial, but a close look at how each journal is made and what's inside. I go through four bundles in total, showing construction details, paper choices, pocket and tuck-spot placement, and the embellishment packs tucked into the back of several journals. If you're thinking about purchasing, or if you're building up your own junk journal practice and want to see how finished pieces come together, this gives you a real look at both.
What you'll learn
How I bundle different journal styles together — pairing a larger fabric-covered journal with a smaller companion mini journal, or grouping an altered box journal with its matching envelope journal, so each bundle gives you two distinct formats to work with.
What a fabric-covered journal looks like from the inside, including:
- Sewn-on journaling spots made from book images (you use the back of the image as a writing surface)
- Little handmade envelopes bound into the signatures
- Phrases and words cut from old books, hand-stitched onto pages for texture
- Pockets, tuck spots, tags, and a small notes booklet
How I use upholstery leather offcuts for journal covers — my dad is an upholsterer, and rather than letting the offcuts go to landfill, I use them to make journal covers. The leather is soft, durable, and has a quality that's hard to replicate with other materials. I mention it clearly in the listings because I know not everyone wants to purchase something made from leather, and that feels worth being upfront about.
What an envelope journal is and how it closes — this one is made from a large envelope, which gives the whole journal its structure and its name. It closes with a wraparound ribbon attached to a small flap with a button, and the two signatures sit inside with a pocket at the back holding the embellishment pack.
How the altered box journals work — a decorative box opens to reveal a small leather journal sitting flush inside. The box closes with a magnetic closure (worth knowing if you or someone you're gifting to has a pacemaker). The mini journal inside has an assortment of paper — lined pages, watercolor paper, pages with raised lines — so there's variety without it feeling cluttered.
What goes into the embellishment packs — each bundle includes a small pack tucked into a back pocket, with buttons, charms, and bits and pieces for embellishing the journal yourself. The packs aren't all identical; I put them together individually, so you'll find slightly different things in each one. Every pack does include a button, and some have a small handmade button I love in particular.
How I handle the Mod Podge glitter finish on the envelope journals — I used Mod Podge mixed with glitter on the cover of the envelope journals, which gives them a gentle shine. Mod Podge can stay tacky if you leave it as the final layer, so I sealed over it with something else. The result is a cover that catches the light without being sticky to handle.
The paper assortments I use inside — across the journals you'll see ledger paper, watercolor paper, lined pages, scrapbook paper, gold paper, red paper, and pages from old books. The papers aren't tea-dyed in these particular journals — they're clean, which gives each one a slightly different feel from the heavier distressed style I sometimes work in.
Tips & gotchas
Mod Podge as a top coat gets sticky. I love what it does with glitter, but if you use it as your final sealing layer, the cover will stay tacky over time — especially in warm weather or when stored in a bag. Seal over it with a different product. I can't remember exactly what I used on these journals, but something non-tacky over the top makes all the difference.
The magnetic closures on the box journals are worth flagging. They're functional and satisfying to use, but magnetized closures aren't suitable for everyone — particularly anyone with a pacemaker. If you're buying as a gift, it's worth checking. I mention it in the listings too.
Measurements, page counts, and signature details aren't in this video. I kept the flip-through short, so if you want to know exactly how many signatures are in a journal, what size the pages are, or how many pages total — all of that is written out in the Etsy listing for each bundle. The video is for seeing how everything looks and feels; the listing has the specifics.
Sewing onto paper without warping is possible, but glue matters. Several of these journals have hand-stitched elements — journaling spots, ribbon, trim — sewn onto paper and then glued down. With the right glue, there's no warping at all. The stitching is done separately from the page, then adhered, which keeps the paper flat and the effect clean.
A note on the leather. These are upholstery leather offcuts, not bookbinding leather, and the texture and weight reflect that. It gives the covers a soft, lived-in quality rather than a stiff structured look. I mention the leather in every listing because I think it's important for buyers to know what they're getting — and to decide whether it's right for them.
If you've been thinking about making your own junk journals to sell or give away, seeing how finished pieces are put together across different formats — envelope, box, fabric, leather — might help you figure out which direction to take your own work next.
